HK1133562B - Coffee brewing method and coffee machine - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a process of brewing coffee in which a pre-selected quantity of ground coffee is introduced into a brewing cylinder and then, by moving the brewing cylinder and/or at least a relative to the brewing cylinder moving piston, a brewing chamber containing the coffee flour introduced is formed within the brewing cylinder before hot water supplied by a pump is passed through the brewing chamber to carry out the actual brewing process.

Typically, for the preparation of different coffee drinks, such coffee machines can adjust the strength of the desired coffee drink and the output volume. The setting of the strength of the desired coffee drink affects the amount of coffee flour placed in the brewing cylinders. When setting to dispense a stronger coffee, a larger amount of coffee flour is placed in the brewing cylinders compared to the coffee flour is placed in the coffee pumps for the same drink in a lower volume. This setting is made depending on the size of the coffee drink, the temperature of which is set for the coffee beverage to be brewed in the brewing chamber, and the time of setting the coffee flour to be discharged.

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DE 36 15 158 C1 proposes a method for preparing a number of coffee beverage servings by measuring the displacement of a plunger in a brewing chamber until a predetermined pressure reading is reached on the coffee powder cake in the brewing chamber and, if the measured value deviates from a predetermined reading, changing the quantity of coffee powder to be filled in a subsequent coffee brewing cycle, in order to correct for variations in the quantity of the filled coffee powder caused, for example, by different quality of the coffee beans used.

According to WO 2007/038201 A2, a brewing pressure is measured in a supply line of the brewing water and the volume of the brewing chamber is changed in such a way that a specified brewing pressure is reached by compressing the coffee powder and adjusting the flow resistance of the hot water through the compacted coffee powder accordingly.

The purpose of the invention is therefore to develop a coffee-brewing process of the type described at the outset in such a way that a coffee drink of the same flavour can be brewed even at different volumes of output.

This task is solved by a procedure as described in claim 1.

This method of brewing coffee allows for an adjustment with a changed volume of output, not only in terms of the amount of coffee flour to be used, but also in terms of other factors that appear to influence the aroma of the coffee drink being prepared. This makes it possible, despite a changed volume of output, to keep the contact time of the hot water used for brewing coffee with the coffee separator in the brewing chamber constant. It has been shown that, depending on the contact time of the hot water with the coffee pulp, different flavors are extracted from the coffee flour. To maintain the same temperature, the contact time of the hot water with the coffee separator can be achieved with different greens by adjusting the separator in the brewing chamber to a different size depending on the amount of coffee to be added.This relative change in the size of the brewing chamber in relation to the amount of coffee flour filled allows the degree of coffee flour condensation to be adjusted. If a larger output volume is desired and a larger amount of coffee flour is therefore introduced into the brewing cylinders, the brewing chamber is adjusted to a relatively larger size, so that the coffee flour creates a relatively lower counterpressure to the hot water supplied. The hot water carried through the brewing chamber then passes through the coffee at a higher flow rate; thus, despite a greater flow rate, the contact time between the hot water and the coffee powder is not necessarily longer.Err1:Expecting ',' delimiter: line 1 column 193 (char 192)

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In order to maintain the flavour despite different output volumes, a design which adjusts the size of the brewing chamber according to the quantity of coffee flour filled and also controls the pump power is particularly desirable, so that, despite different output volumes, the contact time of the hot water supplied to the brewing chamber with the coffee flour in the brewing chamber is kept at or near the same level, thus achieving the same aroma of the brewed coffee drink even at a larger output volume.

The implementation of the other variables described in the coffee beverage preparation makes it possible to prepare a large number of different coffee beverages with the same coffee machine. Thus, this method also makes it possible to brew coffee with a coffee machine with an aroma similar to that of filter coffee. For this purpose, the brewing chamber is adjusted accordingly, the conveying power of the pump is controlled accordingly weakly, and thus the contact time of the hot water with the coffee flour is provided accordingly long as for a filter coffee.

To perform the process, a coffee machine has a microprocessor that controls the brewing process depending on the specific drink preference. Typically, certain drink preferences are standardized, such as stored in a non-volatile storage. The changes needed to compensate for a different amount of output are also pre-programmed routines, so no adjustment needs to be made by the user.

The training programme provides for the process of brewing coffee to be carried out completely manually, with the individual brewing parameters recorded and stored, allowing individual brewing processes to be programmed and then accessed alongside the typically pre-programmed standard brewing processes.

The following is an example of the invention, illustrated by reference to the accompanying figures: Figure 1: a longitudinal section of a brewing unit for a coffee machine, integrated into a schematic block diagram with further components to operate the brewing unit,Figure 2: a section of the longitudinal section of the brewing unit in Figure 1 with the brewing chamber set according to a first drink request andFigure 3: the arrangement in Figure 2 for preparing the same coffee drink with a larger output volume and the correspondingly changed brewing chamber size setting.

A brewing unit 1 for a coffee machine K, which is only schematized in respect of some components and is not otherwise shown in detail, has a rack 2. The rack 2 is designed according to the type of housing. The rack 2 is connected to a fixed piston 3 with a coffee outlet 4. A cream valve 5 is connected to the coffee outlet 4. Part of the brewing unit 1 is also a brewing cylinder 6. The brewing cylinder 6 is driven by a spindle drive that can be moved in the longitudinal axis. The longitudinal axis of the brewing unit 1 or its brewing cylinder 6 is shown in Figure 1 with the reference symbol. In Figure 6 a col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col col

The movable piston 7 has a hot water outlet 8 whose mouth is pointed to the fixed piston 3. At the back of the movable piston 7 there is a hose connection 9 which is fitted with a hose 10 as a flexible hot water supply line. The hose 10 is connected with its other end to a stationary coupling 11, possibly connected to other elements, such as an inlet valve. The coupling 11 is used to connect the hot water supply of the coffee machine K to the hot water supply of the coffee machine K. Attached to the coupling 11 the hot water is drawn out of the coffee machine 12 in a horizontal direction by means of a conveyor. The pump 13 is connected to the hot water supply of the coffee machine 13 and the hot water is drawn out of the hot water supply by a conveyor 13 of the type 13 13 13 which is installed in the outside of the coffee machine 13 and is not connected to the outside of the hot water pump 13

The electric motor 15 is used to drive the spindle drive of the brewing unit 1 and thus the brewing cylinder 6. This can be either the motor 15 of the brewing unit itself or the motor 15 of the coffee machine K, depending on the design of the brewing unit.

To control the brewing cycle to brew a coffee drink, the K coffee machine has a control unit, typically trained as a microprocessor 16. Several control units 17, 18, 19 are connected to the control unit 16, wherein in the embodiment shown there is a beverage selector 17, an output volume switch 18 and a switch 19 to adjust the desired strength of the brewed coffee drink. The control unit 16 is equipped with the control units necessary to operate the brewing unit 1 - 15, motor pump 13, thermoblock 14 - depending on the respective beverage, which are available as simple actuators and are of different programmable power. For example, in Figure 16 only those control units are specified and specified for a specific flow unit, and the control unit 16 is not designed and designed in the same direction as the control unit.

To brew a coffee drink, the brewing cylinder 6 is driven out of its position shown in Figure 1 in the direction of the fixed piston 3 by the corresponding actuation of the engine 15. The brewing cylinder 6 is moved in this direction until the coffee inlet 20 of the brewing cylinder 6 is leaked with a coffee passing hole 21 on the stand. In this position of brewing cylinder 6 and stand 2 21 coffee flour is introduced into the brewing cylinder 6 through the subsequent leaking openings 20. In this position the fixed piston 3 is already finally injected into the brewing cylinder 6. The filling of the coffee cylinder 6 is dependent on the respective beverage cylinder, so that the amount of coffee flour is pumped out and the coffee is pumped in the direction of the brewing chamber 6 and the coffee cylinder 6 is driven in the direction of the brewing chamber 6 by the fixed pump.

The piston cylinder 6 has an inward-pointing flange at its rear end 22. After the piston cylinder 6 has been moved far enough towards the fixed piston 3, the flange 22 comes into contact with a sealing ring on the back of the moving piston 7.

Figure 2 shows in a larger cross-sectional representation the brewing chamber 24 formed by these elements between the fixed plunger 3 and the movable plunger 7 inside the brewing cylinder 6 with the compressed coffee grounds contained therein.25 In the example shown, the movement of the brewing cylinder 6 to move the movable plunger 7 is stopped at a certain counterpressure provided by the compressed coffee grounds.25 The pump 13 and the thermoblock 14 are then controlled to return the required hot water output to the brewing chamber 24 at the appropriate temperature as desired by the beverage.24 The hot water pumps are given the necessary data, if necessary, regarding the precision of the pump and the temperature of the brewing chamber.16 The heat pumps are given the necessary data as desired by the beverage.

While Figure 2 shows the preparation of a coffee drink with a smaller output volume, Figure 3 shows the brewing chamber 24 with a size that it occupies if, for the same drink request and the same beverage strength, a larger output volume, for example, twice the output volume, is desired. It can be seen from Figure 3 that a larger amount of coffee flour has been introduced into the brewing chamber 24. Moreover, the movement of the piston 7 towards the fixed piston 3 by the control unit 16 has already been operated at a lower output pressure, which is almost equal to that of the coffee pump 25.

The invention has been described by means of an example; knowledge of these descriptions enables a professional to take into account numerous other features which may affect the brewing process of coffee drinks; therefore, the scope of protection is not limited to the example described but extends to a large number of other examples which a professional can derive from knowledge of the description of the invention taking into account the claims.

List of reference marks

1 brewing unit2 frame3 piston4 coffee outlet5 cream valve6 brewing cylinder7 piston8 hot water outlet9 hose connection10 hose11 coupling 12 transmission 13 pump14 thermoblock15 electric motor16 control unit17 beverage selector switch18 output volume switch19 switch20 coffee inlet21 coffee inlet22 flange23 dipping ring24 brewing chamber25 coffee machine

Claims (6)

1. Coffee brewing method, in which a pre-selected quantity of ground coffee is introduced into a brewing cylinder (6) and then inside the brewing cylinder (6) a brewing chamber (24) containing the introduced powdered coffee (25) is formed by moving the brewing cylinder (6) and / or at least a piston (7) which can be moved relative to the brewing cylinder and guided inside the brewing cylinder (6), before hot water moved by a pump (13) is fed through the brewing chamber (24) to carry out the actual brewing operation, characterised in that the size of the brewing chamber (24) is set depending on the drink request, the desired volume of fluid of the coffee drink to be dispensed and the quantity of coffee introduced into the brewing chamber (24), and the pump power for transporting the hot water routed into the brewing chamber (24) to carry out the brewing operation is controlled or solely the pump power for transporting the hot water routed into the brewing chamber (24) to carry out the brewing operation is controlled.
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that, to maintain the same flavour of a coffee drink where different fluid volumes are dispensed, where a larger volume is dispensed a larger quantity of powdered coffee is introduced into the brewing chamber (24), the volume of the brewing chamber (24), compared to that when filled with a smaller quantity of powdered coffee, is set relatively higher and the pump power is increased to supply a larger quantity of hot water.
3. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that, to set the size of the brewing chamber (24),the counter-pressure provided by the powdered coffee introduced into the brewing cylinder (6) and possibly compressed during the forming of the brewing chamber (24) when the brewing chamber (24) is formed by the corresponding movement of the elements of the brewing unit (1) of the coffee machine (K) which can move relative to each other, is used as a measure.
4. Method according to claim 3, characterised in that, to set a relatively larger size of the brewing chamber (24) when using a larger quantity of the powdered coffee introduced into the brewing cylinder (6), a smaller counter-pressure provided by the powdered coffee found in the brewing chamber (24) is used as a measure for the relatively larger brewing chamber (24).
5. Method according to any one of the claims 2 to 4,characterised in that the pump power is increased to such a degree that the larger volume of liquid is transported in the same time as the smaller one when the same coffee drink of a smaller volume is dispensed.
6. Coffee machine with a brewing unit (1) with a piston (7) arranged within a brewing cylinder (6) such that it can be shifted longitudinally and can move relative to a rack (2), wherein said piston has a hot-water outlet (11) for feeding hot water into a brewing chamber (24) formed by the brewing cylinder (6), the movable piston (7) and a further piston (3), a drive (15) for moving at least one of the movable elements of the brewing unit (1) and a pump (13) for transporting the hot water to be introduced into the brewing chamber (24) in the course of the brewing operation, characterised in that the size of the brewing chamber (24) can be set depending on the drink request, the desired volume of liquid of the coffee drink to be dispensed and the quantity of coffee introduced into the brewing chamber (24) and the pump power for supplying the hot water to be fed into the brewing chamber (24) for carrying out the brewing operation can be controlled or only the pump power for supplying the hot water to be fed into the brewing chamber (24) for carrying out the brewing operation can be controlled.